This invention relates to order receiving methods and apparatus for making sound-accompanying photographs with image information and audio information recorded thereon, the latter being in the form of optically readable code images.
Images photographed with various image acquiring devices are printed on printing paper by the silver salt photographic method, or on paper or film by using an ink jet printer, thermal printer or the like. Thus, over long years, information on photographic objects has been transmitted in the form of still images relying on the sense of sight across wide areas and in a timeless way. Recently, with the advent of the multimedia age, vigorous attempts have been made to use the sense of hearing in the transmission of information, instead of relying solely on the sense of sight. Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., which is one of the joint applicants in this application, also has proposed new media for providing not only visible but audible information in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Publication H6-231466 and Japanese Patent Laying-Open Publication H7-181606, for example. According to this technique, recording media include sound converted into optically readable dot codes (audio code images) which are printed along with pictures, photographs or characters on the same paper, the dot codes being read with a special scanner.
By using these new media, what is known as sound-accompanying photographs may be made (the photographs, herein, being not limited to conventional photo images, but including images obtained with various image acquiring devices). Such a photograph has an image or images obtained by the conventional technique and an optically readable code image or images as noted above which are laid out on a sheet of paper.
A sound-accompanying photograph may be made, for example, by recording animal cries on animal photographs, or recording voices of a plurality of people on a snapshot of these people simultaneously with or after the photo taking. Such a photograph may have a layout of a plurality of image information (still images such as photographs) and a plurality of audio information. What is important here is to associate image information and audio information accurately and determine a layout as desired by the customer. Particularly at an order receiving station such as a processing agent""s shop which is a point of contact between the customer and photo processing site, care must be taken in receiving an order for sound-accompanying photographs not to mislink image information and audio information.
An object of this invention is to provide a technique, i.e. an order receiving method and apparatus, for reliably registering, at an order receiving stage, information important in making sound-accompanying photographs each having a picture image or images and an optically readable audio code image or images laid out on a single sheet, the picture image or images being obtained with a silver salt type camera, a digital still camera for handling image data, an image reading scanner or the like.
The above object is fulfilled, according to this invention, by an order receiving method for making sound-accompanying photographs having, recorded thereon, image information, and audio information converted into code images to be optically readable, the method comprising the steps of receiving audio information and image information from a customer, designating recording regions on a sound-accompanying photograph to be made, for recording the image information and the audio information, and registering the image information and the audio information as order information and as linked to the recording regions designated.
In another aspect of the invention, an order receiving apparatus is provided for making sound-accompanying photographs having, recorded thereon, image information, and audio information converted into code images to be optically readable. This apparatus comprises a receiving unit for receiving audio information and image information from a customer, a recording region designating unit for designating recording regions on a sound-accompanying photograph to be made, for recording the image information and the audio information, and an order information registering unit for registering the image information and the audio information as order information and as linked to the recording regions designated.
In these techniques, audio information and image information received are linked to recording regions designated therefor, respectively, and are registered as order information. Thus, the audio information and image information may be checked anytime during the subsequent process of making sound-accompanying photographs. With the registered order information confirmed by the customer, there will occur no trouble between the customer and receptionist.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the recording regions are determined beforehand with recording region identification signs (e.g. ID codes or just names) applied thereto. Even when one sound-accompanying photograph has a plurality of audio recording regions and image recording regions, and even when a change is made in the positional relationship of these recording regions, a desired region may be identified among the plurality of recording regions with the help of the identification signs. An image identification sign and an audio identification sign may be applied also to the image information and the audio information received, respectively. Then, the designated recording regions may be related to the image information and audio information in a simple way with the identification signs serving as a key. Further, a customer identification sign may be applied to the image information and audio information. This will preclude the possibility of confusing the image information and audio information received from one customer with the information received from another. Even so, where the same customer orders a plurality of sound-accompanying photographs at the same time, image information and audio information intended for one photograph could inadvertently be used for another. This inconvenience is avoided by applying a print identification sign indicating each sound-accompanying photograph to be made to the image information and audio information received.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the order information is displayed on a monitor for checking whether the order information to be registered is correct. In this way, an allocation and layout of image information and audio information to/in the recording regions may be confirmed easily, which precludes an order-related trouble occurring between the customer and receptionist. For confirming such order information, not only the monitor screen but a hard copy of the order information such as a voucher printout may of course be used.
The order information may be recorded on the voucher in a form readable by an optical reader such as a card reader, bar-code reader, mark sheet reader or the like. It is then possible to display the order information or input it to a sound-accompanying photograph making apparatus at any time.
In an order receiving apparatus according to a further preferred embodiment of this invention, the recording region designating unit is operable to designate the recording regions based on a template selected from a template library. Instead of preparing a layout of the sound-accompanying photograph from scratch, a layout may be selected from a library storing numerous layout examples in the form of templates. This expedites an order receiving operation.
In a further embodiment, the recording region designating unit has a function to designate the recording regions based on position coordinates inputted. With this construction, shapes of the recording regions may determined and the regions may be arranged accurately when preparing the regions from scratch.
When a designated recording region has an area disagreeing with an area required by audio information made into a code image, the designated region must be altered in making a sound-accompanying photograph. To avoid such a situation, the recording region designating unit in a preferred embodiment of this invention has a function to redesignate the audio recording region with reference to a volume of the audio information converted into a code image. The volume, i.e. the area required by the audio information made into a code image, is derived from a suitable look-up table or a device for electronically calculating the area from the audio information received.
The foregoing object is fulfilled, according to this invention, by a different order receiving apparatus for making sound-accompanying photographs having, recorded thereon, image information, and audio information converted into code images to be optically readable. This apparatus comprises a receiving unit for receiving customer information, audio information and image information from a customer, a layout edit unit for designating an image recording region and an audio recording region in a recording area of a sound-accompanying photograph to be made, and linking the image information with the image recording region and the audio information with the audio recording region, and an order information output unit for outputting order information including layout information indicative of a layout edited and the customer information. This apparatus is constructed to perform the above-mentioned order receiving operation electronically by using various electronic devices. The layout edit unit designates an image recording region and an audio recording region, and links the image information and audio information with the recording regions. The results of editing work are outputted as order information, along with the customer information, in the form of a printout or a file, or transmitted to a predetermined location through a LAN or WAN. This realizes mechanization of the order receiving operation, especially flexible sound-accompanying photographic artwork based on the layout edit unit used in time of receiving orders.
To make such sound-accompanying photographic artwork, i.e. to carry out a design operation, with enhanced perfection, the layout edit unit in a preferred embodiment of this invention has a region size priority mode for setting a compression parameter for use in converting the audio information into a code image to fit into a size of the audio recording region, and an audio quality priority mode for adjusting the audio recording region to accommodate a volume of the audio information converted into the code image. With this construction, the customer is asked to determine which is the most important among the quality of sound, length of sound and the entire design, and a layout of the sound-accompanying photograph may be produced in a way to meet the customer""s requirement. For this purpose, the layout edit unit may include an audio volume calculator for calculating the volume of the audio information converted into the code image, and a recording region altering device for altering the audio recording region according to the volume calculated. This construction automates the layout operation to a considerable degree. When enlarging the audio recording region, the recording region altering device may split the audio recording region into a plurality of stages instead of simply enlarging the region. Then, the audio recording region may easily be placed in a suitable location, e.g. a location not overlapping an important image region.
From the viewpoint of the artwork of sound-accompanying photographs, and from the viewpoint of scanning and reading audio code images, an attribute value setting unit may be provided for setting attribute values (background color, code image color, the thickness and color of frame lines and so on) to the audio recording region for making the sound-accompanying photograph. This is important in realizing sound-accompanying photographs with advantages in practical use, visual quality and audio reproduction.
In a further preferred embodiment of this invention, the order information output unit is operable to output the order information along with the image information and the audio information by using a source mixed type page description language. The order information outputted integrates all materials essential for making sound-accompanying photographs. The information outputted is inputted as it is to a sound-accompanying photograph making apparatus generally through a storage medium such as an MO or through a communication medium. As a different page description language, a markup type page description language may be used to output the order information separately from the image information and audio information. The markup language is highly compatible with the Internet, and is convenient for communication. Of course, the order information output unit may output the order information, image information and audio information to a plurality of media. It is important to meet requirements of a sound-accompanying photograph making lab acting as an output center, and to enable issuing of vouchers serving as order receipts given to customers.
As will be understood from the foregoing description, the method of receiving an order for sound-accompanying photographs according to this invention may advantageously be executed on a computer system employing page layout software appropriately developed for generalpurpose computers. More particularly, the invention proposes an order receiving method for making, by using a computer system, order information relating to an order for sound-accompanying photographs having, recorded thereon, image information, and audio information converted into code images to be optically readable. This method comprises the steps of setting a virtual page corresponding to one sound-accompanying photograph, setting to the page an image recording region for the image information and an audio recording region for the audio information, linking the image information and the audio information to the recording regions, applying provisionally the image information and the audio information linked, to the recording regions, adjusting a volume of the information applied and/or a size of the recording regions linked, when a size required by the information applied disagrees with the size of the recording regions, and outputting a completed page design as the order information by using a page description language. In this method, the audio information and image information inputted to the computer are treated as materials for a page layout where an entire sound-accompanying photograph to be made is regarded as one page. Information recording regions are created on a monitor screen, and the materials are applied to these recording regions. In this way, the recording regions linked to the audio information and image information are designed. A completed page design is outputted in a page description language as noted hereinbefore, and transmitted to a sound-accompanying photograph making lab through some medium. Thus, only a simple system is required to achieve a very creative designing of sound-accompanying photographs, and an accurate transmission of page layout information to the sound-accompanying photograph making lab. To realize the accurate transmission of page layout information with enhanced perfection, it is important that the order information outputted includes a compression parameter for use in converting the audio information into a code image.
In this computer system also, the recording regions may be selected and set by accessing a template library storing a plurality of templates providing designs and arrangements of the recording regions. Then, designs above the average may be provided at any order receiving station.
Other features and the advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments to be taken with reference to the drawings.